Shiva
by Priest Li Xiang
Summary: Shiva falls in love with a mortal, some 2 decades before the beginning of the game, and changes the course of history
1. Birth

I don't own Final Fantasy Eight  
  
Alright peoples, this is my first FF8 fic (that's been posted :P) As   
things are, I'm not sure if this is very good (I haven't even passed   
it through my prereader .;;)   
  
Now, I'd like to know if any of you care about the idea, or not. Feh,   
in any case, there will be more chapters to this thing. I've got the   
entire thing mapped out already. I found, while writing False   
Identity, that knowing what you're doing in a story helps greatly.   
Anyways, as things stand, this will be on the back burner, written   
only when I get stuck on where to go with False Identity.   
  
  
  
Shiva  
Prologue : Birth  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"Did you hear?"  
  
Quezacotl looked up from where he lay in the grass of his personal   
wing of Eden's Castle. The castle existed outside the boundaries of   
the human world, where the Guardian Forces, their servants, and any   
they decided to bring with them, resided. He, as well as the lightning   
elementals that were his servants, and subjects, as God of Lightning,   
were lounging around in his wing. The sight of an ice nymph sprawled   
across the grass beside one of his elements wasn't all that uncommon--   
Saphira and Nikita had been a couple for nearly two human centuries.  
  
"Hear what?" came the low thunder-like rumbling of Nikita's voice, and   
Saphira giggled.  
  
"Lady Shiva's is looooove!"  
  
"What?" more of the lightning elementals began to gather around the   
couple, and Saphira blushed slightly. Quezacotl was confused himself   
-- Shiva, Queen of Ice, in love? It seemed impossible! Although, that   
would explain why she hadn't been coming to the gatherings as of late.   
  
"Lady Shiva can't love," scoffed one of the elementals, "She's the   
ultimate icebitch."  
  
Saphira's hand cracked against his cheek, having bound to her feet.   
Nikita raised himself up just as swiftly, wrapping her in his electric   
embrace. She calmed, then, having dealt with the insult to her Queen.   
She sniffed haughtily, turning out of Nikita's arms and stalking away.   
She called over her shoulder, almost acidically, "Lady Shiva is in   
love with a human boy. She may be cold, but she's far from heartless."  
  
Quezacotl bolted straight up at those words, seeing Nikita follow his   
lover out. The lightning god saw nothing else, however.  
  
Shiva was in love... with a human?!  
  
---  
  
The cold, imperial voice echoed from the bedchambers, "Enter."  
  
The blonde swept a strand of hair from her face, hooking it over one   
of the feathery wings atop her head. Using her free hand, she pushed   
the room's door open, and strode in, as calm as any "allowed" into   
Shiva's presence.  
  
The Queen of the North was seated cross-legged on her bed, a position   
Siren had never thought she'd see the imperial woman. Her face showed   
deep concentration, and she held a silvered mirror in her lap.  
  
The goddess padded closer, peering over her friend's shoulder, and   
into the mirror. The ice queen was using it to scry-- specifically to   
watch a boy no older than eleven learning how to fight.  
  
"Oooh, he's cute, Shivers," Siren purred, leaning over to trace a   
finger along the face in the mirror. Long, dark hair was pulled back   
into a ponytail, and despite the cadet uniform, and the gun in his   
hands, his eyes sparkled with life.  
  
"I know," Shiva's voice held a note her companion had never hear in   
it-- in all reality, had never expected to hear in it, despite her   
fondest wishes: compassion.  
  
"If he why you called me here?"  
  
Shiva stared into the reflective glass for several moments, before   
turning to face the other goddess, "Yes. Tell me... what does his   
future hold, Siren?"  
  
She knew, the moment "tell me" exited the blue skinned deity's mouth,   
what she really wanted. Siren had a little known talent-- the ability   
to see how one's life would end. She could not see the immediate   
future, nor most of a being's life span. She could, however, see the   
end of it. Shiva wanted to know, first and foremost, would he be happy   
when he met his end. And if not... she wanted to know so she could   
interfere with the mortal's life.  
  
Siren fixed the boy's image in her mind-- never having been able to   
refuse the one _she_ loved-- and reached along the paths of the   
tapestry, to see the end of his string. Her voice was soft as she   
spoken from within the trance.  
  
"The one he loves will leave him, marrying another when he does not   
return immediately from a mission. He will be bitter, sadden by life,   
and retreat to the mountains. There he shall stay, until the eve the   
Sorceress takes the souls of all men to feed her own power..." Siren   
shook her head out as the trace-like state left her, "Ouch. Such a   
happy boy should never have to live through that, eh Shivers?"  
  
"No, he should not," determination raced across the ice goddess' face,   
and she bolted from the room, "And he won't, if I can help it!"  
  
Siren blinked back tears, "I hope you know what you're doing,   
Shivers..." She stood and trudged from the room. Siren' bumped into   
Quezacotl just outside the door, however. At the lightning bird's   
enquiring look, the goddess explained in a quiet, but sharp voice.  
  
Quezacotl sighed, "We've got to stop her-- let's find Odin. He's the   
only one aside from Diablos I can think of helping Shiva do what she   
wants."  
  
"Right," Siren nodded, "Let's go, before it's too late!"  
  
---  
  
The two Guardian Forces made it into Odin's quarters, just in time to   
see Shiva's icy blue skin turn to the soft peach of a mortal's. Her   
multicolored hair seemed to fall limp, hanging around her face as it   
turned dark. Her neon blue eyes also grew darker, turning to the color   
of the sky. The now human woman shrank, becoming the equivalent of an   
eleven-year-old human female. As this happened, clothing swirled about   
her, created from the air.  
  
Odin's voice was toneless as he commanded the spell's restrictions,   
"On your tweleveth year as a mortal, the spell will end. You will   
become Shiva once more, Raine Leonhart."  
  
Shiva-- nay, Raine-- nodded sharply, "I understand. Thank you, Odin."  
  
She faded away, then, being transferred to the mortal world. Odin   
seemed to sag in his armor, dropping into the chair he'd risen from   
when Shiva entered. He sighed heavily, while Siren and Quezacotl   
slipped silently, unnoticed, from the room.  
  
"Take care of my daughter, Laguna Loire."  
  
End 


	2. Reality

To my reviewers: Ohhh, danke! Such wonderful reviews :P   
I have plans for this thing. Like I said, this is back burner. Prolly   
get a chapter out every two/three weeks (Unlike False Identity, my   
current project, which I post a new chapter every Friday).   
  
Although, you might get a few chapters of Shiva right now-- I'm on   
Spring Break. And I can't use my left pinky without it hurting a hell   
of a lot, so I can't play my guitar (damn. I love playing guitar). I do   
have three fingers and a thumb left, however, so I can write without   
using my pinky.   
  
I ripped my hand open across my palm, and the joint for my pinky. Yes   
it hurts. No, it's not serious, although it will leave a scar. Hell, I   
got a scar from landing a chair on my foot. It's shaped like a star,   
and looks really cool, and I think I'll shut up now.  
  
  
  
Shiva  
Chapter One : Reality  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Raine Leonhart.  
  
Shiva had her hands in the pockets of the pale blue jacket Odin had   
created for her. To wear clothing... it felt strange. She'd never worn   
clothes in her entire existence. Add to that the name her human form   
had been christened.  
  
"A new life," Raine mused, "to learn... learn what?" She knew she was   
going to try to make Laguna's life better. She wouldn't let him end in   
such a way! She just had to figure out how... and Odin had told her,   
before agreeing to the changeling spell, that she had to learn   
something. Her mind fuzzed over the words, she hadn't truly been   
listening to the man she knew was her father. She'd never really   
listened to him either-- or to Diablos, who was her other "father".   
The demon-dragon had taken care of her as a child, when both Odin, her   
father, and Leviathian, her mother, had been taking care of business in  
the mortal world. Until his disappearance centuries ago, Diablos had   
been more of a parent to her than her biological ones.  
  
Shiva rarely listened to her father's words. She was a grown woman,   
she knew what she had to do. She was a full fledged goddess... or she   
had been. Now she was a mortal girl, with no idea what life had in   
store for her. She'd never been in the tapestry before. She'd never   
been part of the time stream, to effect it, and have it effect her.   
Nothing, Raine knew, would stop it from changing her. Odin had   
probably been telling her how to relate to events, in order to come   
out with what he wanted her to learn. Oh well.  
  
Aside from the lesson she was to learn, and aside from helping Laguna   
Loire have a better life, she knew not what to do. Anger, an emotion   
she did not truly understand, washed over her, submerging her into   
it's fiery depths.  
  
She was angry with herself. Angry at not knowing what to do, where to   
go. Angry at being angry. She had better control than this! She was   
the many times proclaimed Queen of the Icebitches-- she did not get   
angry!   
  
Despite her mortal form, the energy in the air recognized her for what   
she was. It misted up around her, glistening ice crystals decorating   
the air as she walked. Each footstep on the soft dirty of the old   
country road shimmered with a thin layer of ice, that, in the summer   
heat, soon melted. It was the chilling feel of ice against her mortal   
skin-- a feeling she'd never felt before-- that snapped her out of the   
anger.  
  
Shock grasped her then, and Raine's eyes went wide. The mere idea of   
being capable of anger had been laughable, mere hours prior. As had the   
idea of feeling cold-- she was cold, cold was her, they were not   
different. It was then that she realized, truly realized what she had   
done.   
  
This was no silly illusion for her to play at being human. This wasn't   
just about helping someone who she'd been watching for years have a   
better life. She was human. Human.   
  
Sobs racked her body as she knew, truly knew, that she would not be   
Shiva, Queen of the North, Goddess of Ice, for twelve years. She would   
be mortal for a dozen years, incapable of consciously controlling her   
powers. She would feel everything they could, live as one, work as one,   
be human. It was terrifying.  
  
Tears obscured her vision, and Raine stumbled to the side of the road,   
unable to walk any further, without risk of tripping and hurting   
herself-- yet another thing that would never have happened while being   
Shiva. But she wasn't Shiva, and wouldn't be for many years to come.   
She was Raine Leonhart. A girl who knew who her parents were, but was   
unable to call on them for help.  
  
Get control of yourself, the part of her that was Shiva screamed, get a   
hold of yourself! Stop crying!  
  
While the part that was becoming Raine, and would be Raine for the rest   
of the goddess' existence, merely whispered for her to lay down and   
cry. To get it out of her system, and move on. To be human, and do what   
she came here to do.  
  
Raine fell asleep like that, leaning against a tree, arms wrapped about   
herself, tears still dripping down her cheeks.  
  
---  
  
"Oh dear... are you awake, little one?"  
  
The female voice broke through Raine's nightmare, pulling her back into   
reality. Her clothing was wet, a distant part of her noted, and there   
was ice gathering at her back. She would really have to stop thinking   
she was still Shiva-- normally, she wouldn't have felt cold at the   
cocoon of ice that was forming around her, but she was human now. This   
distant part was quite distant, however, seeing as the rest of her was   
busily chattering her teeth, and trying to rub sensation back into her   
arms.  
  
Looking up, the eleven year old found herself staring into the shining   
deep brown eyes of a woman encroaching on her fifties. Slightly behind   
her, still on the road, was a twenty year old woman-- their familial   
resemblance was obvious. The old woman had crouched over her.  
  
"Are you alright, little one?" the woman repeated, "It's not safe to be   
asleep out in these woods. There many not be as many monsters as there   
was when I was a child, but there are still a lot about."  
  
"Ignore her," the young woman on the road called with a smile, "Mother   
tends to ramble on about nothing."  
  
"It's not nothing!" the elder woman barked, "Eve, these woods can be   
dangerous to children!" Now, she turned back to Raine, "What's your   
name, little one?"  
  
"Raine Leonhart."  
  
"Well then Little Raine," Raine's eye twitched. She was _not_ little,   
"Let's get you up, and into town. It's only another two hours walk,   
until we get there."  
  
Walk? Raine tried not to wince at the thought. Human's walked   
everywhere, she'd found-- well, if they didn't have any money. Or   
didn't want to spend money on renting or buying vehicles. It was   
something she'd noticed when watching Laguna.   
  
She found herself on her feet without acknowledging that it had   
happened, and pacing the two women. Eve and her mother, Darla, had set   
Raine between them to "protect" her. It upset the former goddess for a   
moment, until she realized with a sick chill that the monsters wouldn't   
stop at making her a meal. She wasn't Shiva anymore-- she wasn't   
something that the monsters feared; she was a meal to them.  
  
No wonder Darla had wanted her to come with them. Without weapons--   
without the knowledge of how to use weapons, or how to fight as a   
human, she would have been easily taken out. Permanately. She shivered.  
  
"Are you cold, Raine?" Eve's voice was tinted with amusement, but then,   
it had been every time the woman spoke. She seemed to be a joyful sort,   
not unlike Laguna. Raine liked her. There was, however, a small amount   
of concern in the "older" woman's voice. Raine was just a child, no   
older than her younger brother had been when he died-- Eve was   
terrified every time a child got sick, worrying that they, too, would   
die.  
  
"Just a little," the girl admitted after a few moments. It was probably   
smarter to tell the woman that, then to tell her the real reason.   
Besides, Eve most likely wouldn't believe it if she was told that Raine   
Leonhart was really Shiva, The Ice Queen.  
  
A blanket wound itself around her shoulders, and she looked over at   
Darla in surprise. The old woman's shoulder bag was open, and empty of   
all but a couple of apples, while she fussed with tying the cloth in a   
strong knot around her neck, "There you are, Little Raine. This should   
keep you warm until we get back to Winhill."  
  
"T... thank you, Darla," Raine managed to stutter out before ducking   
her head. She could feel an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside   
her-- her cheeks felt funny, almost as if they were on fire. Although,   
it wasn't all that serious, seeing as she'd felt was truly being burned   
felt like when she had rough housed with her half brother, Ifrit, as   
children. It was just... strange.  
  
And her fingers tingled. Warmth was seeping into her stomach, and   
curling around her, as she realised for the first time that she had   
been cold in the early evening air. She was drawn out of her thoughts   
at Darla's joyful laugh.  
  
"There's nothing to blush about, Little Raine," Eve giggled a bit   
behind her hand at Raine's expression to being called "Little", "and   
You're Welcome."  
  
Raine's blush deepened, and she felt her cheeks burn hotter. Human's   
lived with this burning feeling on their face whenever they were   
embarrassed? No wonder they were always fighting wars-- if they were   
fighting, they couldn't be embarrassed, and wouldn't have to feel the   
burning! Raine didn't exactly realize that she had some rather skewed   
observations. When you calculate your age in centuries and millenniums,   
you don't really understand that there could be a good fifty years   
between battles.  
  
"Oh mother, stop it. You're embarrassing her further!"  
  
"Well, someone has to do it!" Darla huffed with mock indignance, "I   
don't see her parents about to do it!" The old woman's eyes widened as   
she realised what she'd inadvertently said. Both Eve and Darla's eyes   
darted over the young girl's face, but she seemed to be ignoring them.  
  
"What?" Seemed, being the operative word. Raine was giving them   
confused looks, "Is something wrong?"  
  
Eve paused for a moment, then, "Raine... where are your parents? Kids   
don't travel this far out by themselves."  
  
Raine bit her lip. What was she supposed to tell them? That her father   
had changed her from a goddess to a mortal because she asked for it,   
and she hadn't seen her mother since the last time she'd gone to the   
yearly Deitian Gatherings in Eden's throne room, was six years ago? No,   
they wouldn't believe her. So she cast her eyes to the ground,   
wondering what sort of explanation they would come up with. She'd just   
go along with whatever it was.  
  
Of course, she hadn't expected to be wrapped in hugs by both women, and   
to hear Eve's soft, "I'm sorry... so sorry for bring it up," or Darla's   
"I didn't realize. You poor dear..."  
  
Well, since they apparently weren't going to tell her what had   
"happened" to her parents, she'd just have to go along with what they   
thought of her. Of course, they expected her to drop into their arms   
crying about the loss of her parents. She merely pushed out of their   
arms, "It's... alright. Don't worry about me."  
  
"Oh what a strong girl you are!" Darla was wiping her own eyes. For a   
girl to have lost her parents at such a young age... shaking her head,   
she decided that they needed to steer clear of this conversation.   
Obviously, either Raine had not yet realised that her parents were   
dead, or she was locking the feelings away. Which was a bad thing, as   
feelings locked away inevitable build up, build pressure. And like when   
a damn breaks, and the water explodes outwards, so would Raine.   
  
She would either land herself into a deep depression, or have the worst   
temper ever gifted to Hyne's good world.  
  
Raine just watched in silence as the two women pulled themselves back   
together. After a few minutes, while she was still wiping tears away   
for inadvertently bringing up the painful past-- at least, in her   
mind-- Eve padded over to Raine, and took her hand.  
  
"Come on, Raine. You can stay with me and mother in Winhill. It's a   
nice little town. Quiet-- no one bothers us, aside from the occational   
monster-- but they're usually taken care of by the men."  
  
"Yes, yes," Darla agreed, taking Raine's other hand, "You will come,   
and stay with us. We'll take care of you, be your family."  
  
She may have been the goddess of ice, and used to holding her emotions   
at bay, but a human's emotions were closer to the surface than a   
deity's. It was a safeguard, to prevent the deities from becoming   
biased towards one person or another. Despite this, despite what she'd   
grown up learning, and knowing, Raine's emotions were the same as any   
other human's-- hard to control, despite their best efforts.  
  
Raine's surprise showed clearly on her face as she was lead away from   
her life as Shiva, daughter of Odin and Leviathan, and towards a life   
in a little town called Winhill. Towards her life as a human, something   
she'd never done before.  
  
  
End 


	3. Setting the Stage

I can play guitar again! *does a little dance* My hand's healed up   
enough that it won't be cut open by the strings, and I can get back   
to playing "One Step Closer", by Linkin Park. Honestly, every time I   
play Hybrid Theory it's either a song Squall would sing (in his head,   
I just can't see Shiver's son singing outloud...) or one Seifer   
would.   
  
I mean, "Forfeit the game, before somebody else takes you out of the   
frame, and puts your name to shame, cover up your face, the pace is   
to fast you just won't last" ? I swear to god, that sounds like   
something Seifer would say in mid-battle (especially with some of his   
dialogue: "Kneel before me!" *grins*)  
  
I'd like to say Bai-bai, before these notes turn into me analysing   
"Crawling" (*hums* Squall song, Squall song...), and not just "Points   
of Authority".   
  
  
  
Shiva  
Chapter Two: Setting the Stage  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"If it ain't Rainy-Day. What are you doing here freaky?"  
  
Raine ignored Nathaniel's taunt. It wasn't all that hard to do,   
actually. She'd only been ignoring him since she'd met the fourteen   
year old, eight months ago.   
  
She had never actually thought eight months could be a long time, but   
seeing as she hadn't been human until eight months ago, there was   
reason for that. The Deities she'd known all her life had never done   
so much in such a short amount of time before. What most humans did   
in a day or so, the Guardian Forces stretched out over months. When   
you have eternal life, there's no reason to do a hell of a lot in one   
day. Of course, human's lives were much, much shorter, so they did   
much, much more in a day.  
  
Like doing the housework, farming, cooking, sewing, fixing things,   
building things, fishing, hiking, and all sorts of other things. Even   
now, eight months after arriving in Winhill with Darla and Eve, Raine   
was finding new things to explore. It was rather exciting.  
  
As for right now, Darla had sent Eve away for the next couple weeks.   
The twenty year old was doing business of some sort or another in   
Deling City. Raine had almost begged to go with the older woman--   
that was where Laguna had been the last time she'd checked in on   
him-- but both Darla and Eve had agreed that the trip-- to be done on   
foot-- was to dangerous for the "little girl". So Raine had gotten   
stuck in Winhill, doing menial tasks for Darla.   
  
Which included shopping for various items Darla didn't have.  
  
And that explained why Raine was out, but not why Nathaniel was   
"tormenting" her. The fourteen year old boy had seen Raine and it was   
hate on first sight. Of course, Raine had a special spot in her heart   
for the boy-- the one that went 'As soon as I'm Shiva again, you are   
_so_ dead'.   
  
Nathaniel was convinced she was a monster in disguise-- she'd   
accidentally frozen his feet to the ground once, only a week into   
knowing him. Not to mention the time when she'd knocked him into a   
mud puddle and laughed at him. That was only three days ago; it would   
explain why he was out to get her right now.  
  
Raine had, over the last few months, managed to reign in her power--   
she couldn't consciously control it's actions as a human. If she got   
angry enough with someone-- Nathaniel, for example-- her power would   
lash out without her wanting it too. She had been very dangerous for   
the first six months of her stay in Winhill, but now she'd downgraded   
her status to "slightly dangerous". The former goddess believed she   
needed a bit more practice before she managed to keep her power fully   
under wraps.  
  
She didn't want to accidentally hurt Laguna when she finally met up   
with him.   
  
"She's ignoring you, man," the voice came from the door of a dusty   
old truck. A truck that hadn't been there the day before, _both_   
Raine and Nathaniel knew. Almost of one mind, they turned to face it.   
A man-- maybe nineteen or twenty-- poked his head out the window. He   
looked sleep tusselled, his eyes only just cracking open under the   
reddish brown hair as he grinned at them.   
  
"Hey there kiddies. Name's Kireian. Would either of you tell me where   
I am?"  
  
"Just outside Winhill," Raine refused to let her frown show. There   
was something about this man. A shadow hovering over him, like Fate   
and Destiny decided to both take their shots at him. Dammit all! Not   
for the first time, she wished to be Shiva, with full access to her   
powers. She'd at least be able to understand this feeling then. As it   
was, it was just a faint tickling at the back of her neck.  
  
"Winhill, eh?" Kireian scrubbed at the stubble gathering at his chin,   
"Haven't been here in years."  
  
"You've been here before?" Nathaniel spoke this time. He didn't seem   
as uneasy as Raine did, but then, it could have something to do with   
the fact that Raine used to be the queen of ice.   
  
"Was born here," Kireian pushed his door open, dropping out of the   
cab. Both Raine and Nathaniel _stared_ at him.  
  
He stood about six feet tall, and although thin, he was corded   
muscle-- like an athlete. His hair was of medium length-- falling to   
about his chin, most of it pulled back into a small, tight ponytail   
in back, although the hair that framed his face was to short to pull   
back that way, and just hung free. His bangs, while tussled, were   
wild, sticking up in almost any direction. He wore a pair of dusty   
old jeans, of which sported wide holes at the knees, tucked old   
leather work boots, and a tight black t-shirt.   
  
A hunters knife was in a special sheath in each boot, an additional   
blade seen through the holes in his jeans. There were two swords   
strapped at opposite angles across his back, as well as a six inch   
dagger hanging at his left hip. There were other weapons-- like the   
semi automatic machine gun attached to his right thigh, or the flail   
that was strapped between the swords-- but they didn't call to Raine.   
To eyes that had once been that of a goddess, the blades seemed to   
_glow_ with power. Either magical, or that of the lives they had   
taken.   
  
There was a tentative brush against her mind, and Raine's expression   
instantly shifted from shocked awe, to smooth, icy control. The   
tentative reaching out was beginning to leave her mind, apparently   
finding nothing of interest, when she called out to it.  
  
/Carbuncle./  
  
The Guardian Force shifted, instantly from warily searching for   
enemies, to on guard instantly. There were few that could recognize   
it when a Guardian Force sifted through recent thoughts, and fewer   
still that could recognize _which_ GF had done so.  
  
/Who are you?/  
  
Kireian shifted uncomfortably. He could feel his partner's   
communication, but didn't know what she was saying. He turned his   
gaze to the two in front of him, trying to figure out just which one   
she was talking too. Nathaniel had a confused look on his face, and   
had backed a few steps away when the weapons had come out. For a   
moment, he thought it was the boy who was speaking with Carbuncle,   
then he looked at Raine.  
  
The girl's face had closed off, not even her eyes showing emotion.   
She seemed to be trapped within her own mind.   
  
Raine didn't really know how to respond. She didn't know if she   
should save Raine, or Shiva... or how to say it. Just eight months   
ago it would have been easy-- "Shiva"-- with her learning how to be   
human, she wanted to say something else, along with her name, but...   
would that scare the younger GF?  
  
/... it's Shiva./  
  
Carbuncle let out a snort of disbelief, /Shiva's a goddess! You're   
human!/  
  
/And if you hadn't been gone for the last two decades,/ Raine's   
mental "voice" was had seemingly deemed it nessecary to add a touch   
of sarcasm, /You'd know that I was Shiva. Hyne! You're the only one   
aside from Diablos-chama who doesn't know!/  
  
There was silence for a moment and then, /You're right. You're Shiva.   
I don't know anyone else who'd call _Diablos_ "-chama"... Why are you   
human?/  
  
/Because,/ the girl stated simply, /Why did you let this man control   
you?/  
  
/Kireian's nice,/ Carbuncle was suddenly overly cheerful, /And he's a   
demon hunter, although, there's not many Demons around, and there are   
more monsters, so I guess he's a monster hunter right now, and he   
saves all these travelers who keep getting themselves attacked,   
because he's really nice, and--/  
  
/You're babbling. And he's staring at me./  
  
/Oh, I guess I've been talking to long./ Carbuncle withdrew from   
Raine's mind, and returned to the back of Kireian's. A comforting   
brush against her "host's" mind, and she settled down for a bit of a   
nap. Keeping up a mental conversation with someone who's head you   
weren't currently living in, was hard work-- especially when you're   
currently in someone else's mind.  
  
Kireian let out a sigh of relief. He knew that some people had the   
ability to pull GFs out of someone else, and had been worried for a   
moment that this young girl would take Carbuncle from him. She was   
really his only companion when he was out on the road. Raine's face   
seemed to thaw out as she came back from within her own mind, and   
gave Kireian an assessing look.  
  
"You're a demon hunter?"  
  
Kireian started. Well, yeah, that's what his family line had done for   
generations, hunt demons-- trying to get at the ever elusive Diablos,   
the Demon God-- but no one had called him a demon hunter since the   
day he'd partnered with Carbuncle.  
  
"Did Carbuncle tell you that?"  
  
"In mid ramble," Raine's voice was smooth, flowing like ice. While   
normally, this wouldn't bother him, it was the fact that there were   
paths of ice stretching out from beneath the girl's feet, and the air   
around her seemed to be getting thick with snowflakes. Nathaniel had   
backed away from her, frightened, knowing what was happening.  
  
When the first few snowflakes touched her skin, Raine started out of   
her anger. Her early warning system had gone off again, and she   
whirled on one heel, "I'm going home." She knew, very well, that the   
demon hunters had been created, originally, by Pandemonia in a fit of   
rage. The wind goddess had gotten mad at Diablos, about a century   
before he vanished, and decided that if she was going to get rid of   
Shiva's adoptive father, she'd have the humans do it.   
  
Shiva had never liked that-- the most annoying of the mortal clans   
given this task was the Somata Clan. They had gone so far as to   
attack Shiva herself when she'd been visiting one of Diablos' mortal   
realms. The goddess that been young then-- having just been given   
control over her full abilities at that point-- and she had not been   
able to control them very well. Shiva had almost killed everyone in   
the realm-- Diablos and herself included. All because one of the   
Somata Clan had gotten into Diablos' realm-- somehow, they weren't   
sure how, exactly-- and tried to kill him.  
  
But that didn't matter. It was unlikely this Kireian was of the   
Somata line, yet he was still a demon hunter. They just got on her   
nerves.  
  
Raine rubbed her forehead irritably and stalked into Darla's home.   
The old woman looked up from where she'd been fixing one of the   
neighbour's clothing-- Darla had always been Winhill's premier   
seamstress, "Problems with Nate, Rainy?"  
  
"And some Kireian guy," the dark haired girl snorted, dropping the   
sewing supplies on the table, and rummaging around in the bag to pull   
out a small pack of cards. She exited the room, not noticing Darla's   
nerveless hands.   
  
The nearly fifty year old woman's face crinkled with a frown as she   
stood, "Kireian's... returned?"  
  
---  
  
Raine dropped down onto her bed, and shuffled through the cards she'd   
bought. The game wasn't all that popular she'd found, but she liked   
the idea of it. As she pulled the package apart, the cards fell into   
her lap. Face up, on top, was an ice dragon card. Whoever had   
designed the game had decided that modifying existing monsters into   
fictional characters, or even creating his own, would give him more   
leeway with powers and abilities.  
  
So the ice dragon was really a blue dragon, with a slight facelift.   
The rest of the cards were done similarly, including the spell cards.   
Cure was "standard magic", but instead of following with a Cura or   
Curaga, there was "Cure x3" and "Cure x5". As well, Life was known as   
"Revive", and Full-Life, was "Resurrection".  
  
Raine had a modest collection of cards, and adding the ice dragon,   
thunderbird and skeleton player cards she'd gotten this time around,   
along with the five item and spell cards, it was only brought up to   
twenty eight. Even though the game wasn't popular, Raine knew it was   
only a matter of time; int he six and a half months since it had come   
out, most of the kids in Winhill _knew_ how to play, even if they   
didn't have their own deck, or just didn't play.   
  
The only card player in Winhill better than she was, was Nathaniel.   
Another reason to violently dislike him. Shaking the most annoying   
one from her mind, Raine shuffled the cards, then tucked the deck   
into it's pocket.  
  
Raine was, as almost always, wearing her sturdy black leather belt.   
Darla had made, out of scraps of fabric, a pouch for her cards, to   
clip to said belt. After the third time the pouch had ripped, Darla had gone to the town's weapon smith, and asked for any leather left   
over from making sheaths, scabbards or holsters.  
  
The man had gone one step further and offered to make the pouch   
himself. He was bored, seeing as his customer level had dropped over   
the past few months, as the various soldiers on leave returned to   
work. They'd been ridding Winhill of the monsters that plagued the   
town, while visiting their families. With no one coming to him to fix   
weapons or broken holsters, he'd gone back to being a fisherman, as   
always, on his off days. He'd finished the leather pouch in just over   
one day. It wasn't made of just leather scraps, but it was nicely   
done, and-- he'd told Raine when Darla wasn't around-- would easily   
carry a switchblade, for protection, if she wasn't carrying the cards   
around in it. The only time it ever came off her belt, was when she   
pulled the belt out of her pants, to change them.  
  
Tugging on her "work" boots, Raine stood to leave. Her jacket lay   
draped over a chair, but it was warm enough for her to go about   
without it. Darting down the stairs, she shot past Darla and out the   
door, calling over her shoulder, "Going to the fields! Bye Darla!"  
  
The old woman had simply nodded at the girl's passing; it would be   
easier to deal with Kireian if Raine wasn't home then.  
  
Raine pounded the ground as she came out of the seamstress' home.   
With skill borne of practice, the young Leonhart blew around   
obstacles and people alike, out and into the fields. She always felt   
better out in them; no one but the farmers were ever there  
  
She fell on her back, as she came to the very edge of the fields. A   
large weeping willow tree towered over her head. Nice, quiet, and   
relaxing. "Her" willow tree reminded her of the calm Shiva had had in   
her quarters, in Eden's palace. Nothing bothered her here.  
  
Quite frankly, she was bored. Until she'd become human, Raine had   
never truly understood what it meant to be bored. Humans did so much,   
everyday, that when a break in the pattern happened, and there was   
less to do than the day before, they were bored.  
  
Without Eve around to help, Raine had nothing to do. Sure, there was   
bickering with Nathaniel, but even that got tiresome, day-in,   
day-out. There was no one to play cards with, either. Everyone knew   
she'd win, and unless someone else got new cards, and decided to   
challenge her, they'd refuse to play her. It was depressing, really.  
  
A low growl caught Raine's attention, and she slit her eyes open.   
Shimmering blue eyes that quickly snapped all the way open, when they   
caught sight of what was standing over her. For the first time since   
before she'd been granted full control of her abilities, and went   
from "Shiva, Odin's Daughter" to "Shiva, Goddess of Ice", Raine let   
herself scream.  
  
"Oh Shit!!!"  
  
  
End 


	4. Sorceress

No, I haven't dropped Shiva. I lost most of the long-hand chapter,   
and had to rewrite this from memory, though. Any and all (as scant as   
it may be) information can be found in my lj:   
http://www.livejournal/users/foxymouse  
  
Anyone want to be a pre-reader on this? My prereaders for False/True   
Identity don't know anything about Final Fantasy Eight, so they can't   
help me.  
  
  
Shiva  
Chapter Three: Sorceress  
Li Xiang  
  
  
"Oh shit!!"  
  
Raine tried to scramble backwards, but the tree prevented escape. With   
warriors living inside Winhill, most monsters avoided the village. The   
former goddess had forgotten that while they might not attack _in_ the   
village, the fields were fair game.  
  
The maw of a thrusteavis snapped shut above her head, Raine having   
ducked, terrified. Ice crystals crackled in the air around her as she   
darted out from under the beast. Heart beating frantically in her   
chest, Leonhart gripped at the ground.  
  
Her fingers closed around a stick, and she rolled forwards, coming to   
her feet. Gritting her teeth, she swung the stick like a sword,   
cracking it against one wing.  
  
The thing shrieked in agony, but another shout rang above it, "Raine!   
Get down!"  
  
She hit the ground, stick still held in a panicked, shaky grip, keeping   
her from fully clenching her fist and digging her nails into her skin.   
  
The rapport of machine gun fire arced over her head, and the   
thrustaevis roared with pain. It spun, taking to the air and sighting   
it's new targets.  
  
Shakily, Raine climbed to her knees, backing away slowly. Another   
scream tired to force it's way past her lips as a hand came down on her   
shoulder, "Geez! Calm down, Raine!"  
  
Nathaniel, she gaped to herself. What was he doing here? It was   
dangerous! The boy could-- the thrustaevis death kneel rang through the   
air, cutting off her thoughts.  
  
She turned her gaze on the corpse that had fallen to the ground. It was   
ridden with bullet holes-- and looked as thought it had been split in   
half. Kireian was wiping blood from one of his swords.  
  
He caught her eyes as he looked up, and gave a warm grin, "You alright,   
Raine?"  
  
"I..." the young human could feel her emotions flooding her-- relief   
that she wouldn't die, happiness at being rescued, anger at not being   
able to take out the beast herself, envy of not having a weapon to do   
so with-- she was having such _problems_ controlling them all, "..."  
  
"Well, aren't you a friendly one," Kireian's smile turned into a frown,   
"I was just asking if you were alright."  
  
"I'm fine," she bit out, silently cursing her emotions, and her lack of   
control. Determined to fix the problem, she gripped her stick harder,   
and stalked off, back in the direction of Darla's home.  
  
Kireian and Nathaniel blinked as one. That had been... weird.  
  
---  
  
Ice crackled in the air about her as she stalked back to Darla's home.   
The stick in her grasp glittered with ice crystals. Raine grit her   
teeth, trying to force them away-- but her angry at their continued   
existence only fueled the crystal, making them larger.  
  
Damn this! the former goddess growled to herself. Her emotions were out   
of control. While it was true she didn't have an iron grip on them   
_before_ she had absolutely _no_ control over them _now_.   
  
Halfway back to Darla's she came to an abrupt halt and turned herself   
around. The ice that surrounded her, hovering in mid air would bring   
questions. Not to mention that every now and again, a tendril of ice   
snaked out to freeze nearby objects.  
  
She didn't want to accidentally bring harm to Darla. The old woman was   
so nice...  
  
So she headed towards the farthest reached of Winhill-- the docks--   
that the monsters wouldn't attack.  
  
Less than a year. That's how long she'd been human. The experience had   
been new and exciting; trying to understand human emotions had been a   
challenged. Yet it had been a fun challenge.  
  
Not so now. To many "bad" emotions flooding her system. She didn't have   
any ideas on how to control the conflicting emotions, and therefore her   
abilities.  
  
Her icy aura spread, ice crystals clinging and growing on the old   
wooden dock. It extended even to the waters below, freezing the water.  
  
"You a sorceress, girl?"  
  
Raine whirled, the ice reaching out to brush against Kireian-- who was   
the one who stood behind her. He didn't so much as flinch, "What?"  
  
"Are you a sorceress?" to her shock, he stepped closer, "You're   
flinging around ice magic without a junction."  
  
Junctioning. Raine made a face. The process of binding an elemental to   
oneself to grant the ability to use the Magicks that popped up here and   
there.  
  
Sorceress, on the other hand, didn't need junctions. They could use the   
magic through a natural gift-- although, at times, there _had_ been   
reports of ceremonies that forced a Sorceress'-- one which wished to   
die-- power upon an unwilling subject. Hell, that was show _Siren_ had   
been created.  
  
This was also a fairly good excuse for her out of control powers.  
  
"I... don't know," Raine muttered, turning to glare out at the water   
again, "That might explain all this," she waved at the aura surrounding   
her.  
  
Kireian frowned. He'd seen her head this way when he'd started toward's   
Darla's home-- and wouldn't have followed her, had she not been   
freezing everything she came within three feet of. He'd thought her   
casual attitude considering the ice crystals meant that she was-- and   
knew she was-- a Sorceress. This new bit of information meant that   
she, still, might be a sorceress, or she could be a descendant of one   
of the ice elementals.  
  
"Can you control it?"  
  
Raine cast him a nasty glare, "If I _could_ you wouldn't be seeing it,   
now would you?"  
  
Point. Kireian took another couple steps into her freezing aura before   
he began shivering. How could she stand this cold? "Has this happened   
often?"  
  
She clenched a fist, gritting her teeth. What did this demon hunting   
fool care? "Only when my... emotions get really out of control."  
  
Aha! He crowed to himself, She _is_ a sorceress! She just hasn't   
figured out how to separate her powers from her emotions. Of the few   
sorceresses he'd met in his time, Kireian had known a couple that were   
children. The powers of these young girls had _always_ been   
uncontrollable, and _always_ connected to severe fluctuations in   
emotion.  
  
This, of course, was not something the former-Shiva knew. All she knew   
was that Kireian's face had split with a wide grin. Nervously, she   
shifted from foot to foot, wondering if she was about to find herself   
junctioned to this moronic demon hunter. The redhead didn't notice her   
uneasiness, merely bouncing on his heels in a doomed attempt to warm   
up.  
  
"I can help teach you how to control that," he announced cheerfully,   
"I've seen some old ladies teaching sorceress' before, so it should be   
no problem." Let us ignore, he thought to himself, that I don't know   
what they were doing since I couldn't _hear_ what the ladies were   
saying. Oh well, I should be able to guess.  
  
She breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief. He didn't think she was   
an elemental. Just a sorceress. Good, good. Although Kireian's   
rub-his-hands-together-and-cackle-manically was a bit freaky.  
  
"We should probably go to your place and pick up a few snacks," Kireian   
was practically glowing with the thought that _he_ could teach a   
Sorceress how to use her powers. To his knowledge, a demon/monster   
hunter had never done such a thing, "We'll probably end up practicing   
for a few hours, at least."  
  
Raine nodded, still giving the man a wary eye. She was happy her cover   
hadn't been blown, but not-so-happy at the prospect of spending hours   
with a moronic demon hunter. Hmph. She brushed past him, snowflakes   
still clinging to the air around her as she headed back towards Darla's   
place. They slowly faded away as she brought her emotions under   
control, although the ice crystals in her footprints never diminished   
until she was a good ten feet away.  
  
She threw open Darla's door, entering with a faint scowl, and   
disappearing into the kitchen before the older woman could see her   
expression. This of course, didn't matter, as Darla's eyes had locked   
with Kireian's.  
  
"What are _you_ doing here?" the nice, sweet, overly kind old woman   
snarled. The demon winced at the tone, waggling his fingers at her in a   
parody of a wave.  
  
"Uh, Hey, Mrs. S," Kireian glanced nervously at the kitchen. Why was   
Raine staying with the Somata's? She didn't look like Darla, or even   
what he remembered Eve to look like, so she couldn't be related...  
  
As though reading her "guest's" mind, Darla's glare intensified, "You   
stay away from Raine, you worthless piece of sh--"  
  
"I can't," Kireian cut her off, a bit surprised that Darla would stoop   
to swearing. In all the years he'd known her, she'd never so much as   
said 'crap', let alone 'shit', "Raine's a Sorceress, Mrs S. Or didn't   
you know that? I'm going to be training her... I can't let her burn   
Winhill to the ground by accident."  
  
The young man who could stare a Guardian Force in the eye and laugh,   
flinched at Darla's expression. She was far from happy with him.   
Thankfully, Raine managed to save him from what, he was sure, was about   
to be the dressing down of his life.  
  
"Alright, I've got some food. The sooner we get this done, the less   
time I spend in _your_ company."  
  
"Eheh," Kireian laughed weakly, sending a darting glance at the woman   
who owned the house then taking off after Raine, "See ya around, Mrs   
S!"  
  
"You better be gone before Eve comes back!" Darla shouted out the door   
after the fleeing hunter.   
  
---  
  
Raine took a breath, focusing on the space around six feet in front of   
her, narrowing her eyes as she glared at the wooden post serving as her   
target. She'd been practicing her "Sorceress" Magicks for nearly three   
weeks now. She still hadn't the best of control, as her attempt at   
preforming Blizzara resulted in a swirl of snowflakes whipping through   
the air.   
  
"Ha! I thought Sorceresses were supposed to be better than that!"  
  
The dark haired girl grit her teeth, eyebrow twitching as she forcibly   
reminded herself that she wasn't allowed to attack Nathaniel. No matter   
how fun it would be.   
  
But she really, really, _really_, wanted to hit the annoying boy with a   
blizzaga. If only she knew how to cast it... she sighed heavily.   
Kireian had given up on trying to teach her the mechanics of the way he   
cast magic-- of course, the fact that he normally used a god junctioned   
to him to preform it was much different than her own, natural   
abilities.  
  
Then there was the fact that it had been deemed impossible for her to   
attempt any magic other than ice Magicks. It was frustrating to   
Kireian, who'd somehow got it into his head that he was going to be the   
greatest man in history, for teaching a Sorceress when he had none of   
the Hyne-given power himself. Alas, he gave up on that, then went into   
fervent hope that he could at least help Raine devise new ice-magic   
attacks, and _still_ get his name in history books.   
  
It wasn't that he wanted to be famous... he just didn't want to be   
forgotten.  
  
As it was, the redheaded male was seated beside Nathaniel at the base   
of a tree some twenty feet away from his protégée. In his lap was one   
of his swords, of which he was methodically cleaning of the monster   
blood that had collected on it's edge. They had relocated to the   
forest, after Raine had accidentally killed all of Miss Nila's flowers.   
  
Even as he was training her to control her own powers-- or at least   
deluding himself into thinking he was helping-- Kireian was training   
Nathaniel how to hunt and kill monsters. Not only for protection, but   
should he ever find need to take down one of the beasts for a meal or   
two while traveling by foot.   
  
And he was doing surprisingly well at it, despite not having been much   
for one with human contact for many years now. Shaking himself free of   
his thoughts, the young man stood, about to instruct Raine on how to   
focus her mind, when a much different voice rang out.  
  
The sharp, female tones of Eve.  
  
"RAINE?!"  
  
"Eve?" Raine's concentration shattered, and her latest attempt at   
freezing the air around Nathaniel's head to give the annoying one   
brain-freeze-- the irony of the thought completely lost on the   
now-mortal goddess-- came to a screeching halt. The young lady standing   
at the edge of the clearing carrying a traveling pack had her eyes   
riveted on Raine, not even noticing Nathaniel or Kireian.  
  
The red haired demon hunter, on the other hand, had been staring at   
her. Warmth flooded him, and he fought down the urge to blush... she'd   
grown so pretty... he hesitantly took a step forwards, fist clenching   
around the hilt of his blade for a moment, and he blinked, turning his   
attention down to it.  
  
"Raine, what's going on? Why are you way out here?" Eve was confused--   
there was still an hour's walk back to Winhill! Raine shifted   
uncomfortably, wondering if she should tell Eve, or leave it be.  
  
Kireian shifted slightly, sliding his sword back into it's scabbard,   
and took another couple steps forwards, "Eve..."  
  
There was a moment of dead silence, then the young woman's head snapped   
in his direction, "...Kireian?" Her features hardened noticeably,   
"Why'd you come back, Bastard?!"  
  
She whirled on her heel, not bothering to wait for an answer, stalking   
back through the woods, a bitten off, "Come, Raine," floating back to   
them. The young girl looked after Eve for a moment, then at Kireian.  
  
The injured expression on the man's face would have been impossible to   
fake. Tears rolled down his cheeks, eyes almost impossibly wide. His   
mouth was moving, and it took her a moment to realize that he was   
whispering, "what...?" over and over again.  
  
Nathaniel waved her off as he went to the man's side-- Kireian had   
dropped to his knees in shock. Stoney faced, Raine turned on her heel,   
going out after the angry woman. Ice crackled in the air around her as   
she moved.  
  
---  
  
Blue eyes narrowed sharply, Raine grabbed Eve's wrist, spinning the   
woman to face her, snapping, "What the hell was _that_ about?!"  
  
She may be a human child in form-- with all the hormone imbalances of   
hitting puberty in tow-- but in mind she was still the Ice Queen of the   
North, Shiva.   
  
Eve was scowling, "What's _he_ doing back here?"  
  
"He's teaching me to control my... magic," Raine snorted, "in case you   
hadn't noticed you're covered in snow."  
  
Eve blinked, looking at the white powder that lay in a soft sheet over   
her clothing. Surprise flickered across her face, but before she could   
say anything, Raine repeated, "Why the bloody hell did you call Kireian   
a Bastard?"  
  
Sure, Raine had called him that before-- but in the privacy of her own   
mind-- most often after a session. Or over the fact that he was a demon   
hunter. That _still_ rankled her, even after three weeks.  
  
"You wouldn't understand," Eve muttered, dropping to the ground and   
wrapping her arms around her legs. Raine snorted, standing over her   
with crossed arms.  
  
"_I'll_ be the judge of _that_!"  
  
Eve chuckled lowly, "I suppose you would... Raine..." she sighed,   
"Kireian and I grew up together. He was always so fascinated with my   
father-- those swords used to be Daddy's-- that around his tenth   
birthday, he begged daddy to take him hunting."  
  
Eve seemed to be lost in the memory as Raine sat herself down beside   
the older woman. For a second she wondered: was Nathaniel hearing   
Kireian's side of things?  
  
"So daddy took him out. He gave Kireian his first gun, and his first   
knife to protect himself. Everything was fine. Wonderful even; Kireian   
and I were best friends, and that he was doing the exact same thing   
daddy did..." she laughed dryly, "Three days before my seventeenth   
birthday, it happened. Daddy and Kireian went out, but didn't come   
back."  
  
Raine-- for once-- allowed Eve to draw her into a hug. The woman had   
begun to cry, "They found Daddy's body on my seventeenth birthday. The   
swords were gone, and Kireian's bloody footprints continued into the   
forest. It was another week before they found the rotting corpse of the   
demon that killed Daddy. Kireian was gone, and so were the swords."  
  
Eve could feel her heartbreaking all over again, "I'd loved him,   
Rainy-day. I loved him so much... and he vanished on us, taking my   
family heirlooms-- the swords-- with him."  
  
Raine winced-- she could remember having similar feelings for _decades_   
after Diablos had first vanished on her. But she'd gotten over it, and   
she doubted she'd lash out at the demon-dragon god if she saw him   
again. She still had little control over her emotions-- despite having   
learned, at least partially, how to separate her abilities from them--   
and her face showed all.   
  
The former ice goddess was _not_ one for comforting. She wriggled out   
of Eve's embrace, staring the woman in the eyes. What Eve saw was a   
surprising maturity, set in a face of childish sadness, mixed with   
sharp anger.  
  
She said nothing, only climbing to her feet and stalking off through   
the bush, back towards Winhill. Eve followed, a moment later.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
I guess I lied when I said monkeys would fly out of my ass before I   
finished this chapter. Not that I'm saying that I was dropping this...   
just that I'm a lazy ass about writing about that isn't the Identity   
Series. Feh, I've got a re-write of Legend of Digimon to work on. Later   
dayz. 


End file.
